fratsororfandomcom-20200214-history
Myra Davis Hemmings
|death_date=December 8, 1968 (aged 73) |death_place=San Antonio, Texas |spouse=John W. Hemmings (1892–1958)John W. Hemmings. Retrieved on July 6, 2007. |children= }} Myra Lillian Davis Hemmings (August 30 1895 – December 8 1968) was an American actress and teacher, and a founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Early life Hemmings was born to Henry and Susan (Dement) Davis. In 1909, she graduated from Riverside High School in San Antonio, Texas. At Howard University in Washington, D.C., Davis was a part of the group of seven who were newly initiated into the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1912, where she served as president.Giddings, Paula (1988). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 44. 0688135099. A dichotomy ensued within the group of seven newly initiated women and the current establishment of Alpha Kappa Alpha. The seven women along with fifteen others later ceded from Alpha Kappa Alpha and formed Delta Sigma Theta. She was later named president of Delta Sigma Theta's Alpha Chapter.Delta Sigma Theta Founders — Xi Chapter Retrieved on July 6, 2007. In 1913, Hemmings graduated from Howard University.Myra Hemmings Biography on IMDB. Retrieved July 6, 2007. After graduation, Davis began teaching in 1913 in San Antonio, Texas. In 1922 Davis married John W. Hemmings, a former actor on Broadway.Handbook of Texas Online: Myra Hemmings. Retrieved July 6, 2007. Acting Hemmings was active in amateur theater and participated in the San Antonio Negro Little Theater by directing productions.Giddings op. ed. pp. 68. She and her husband helped to organize Phyllis Wheatley Dramatic Guild Players. In her career, she appeared in three films. First, in the 1941 tragic drama film Go Down Death: The Story of Jesus and the Devil, she starred as the martyr Sister Caroline.[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800197875/info Yahoo! Movies: Go Down Death: The Story of Jesus and the Devil.] Retrieved July 8, 2007. In addition to acting, Hemmings co-produced and co-directed the film. In the 1943 film Marching On, she played Mrs. Ellen Tucker.IMDB - Marching On. Retrieved July 8, 2007. In Girl in Room 20 (1946), she played Sarra Walker.MRC FilmFinder-Full Record: The Girl in Room 20. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on July 8, 2007. Later life As a drama teacher, Hemmings directed plays from the 1920s to the 1950s at the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio.Enriching San Antonio Schools through St. Louis Black Repertory Company in San Antonio SchoolsResidency. Retrieved on July 7, 2007. Hemmings was elected as vice-president of Delta Sigma Theta in 1933Giddings op. ed. pp. 154. as well as the organization's historian in 1948.Sadie T.M. Alexander Archives at UPenn. Retrieved July 6, 2007. In 1947, Hemmings received her Master of Arts degree in speech from Northwestern University. Hemmings also continued to teach in San Antonio for fifty-one years. She was also a member of the NAACP, the National Council of Negro WomenDelta Sigma Theta Founders - Kappa Alpha Chapter. Retrieved on July 6, 2007. and the Alpha Phi Literary Society.Delta Sigma Theta Founders - Epsilon Beta. Retrieved July 8, 2007. Hemmings died in 1968 in San Antonio. Tributes After Hemmings' death, Dramatic Theatre Guild was renamed Myra Davis Hemmings Memorial Theatre Guild. In addition, the San Antonio Alumnae Chapter's of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated resource center was named after Hemmings in 1986.A Guide to the San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Records, 1934-1998 (Bulk 1938-1992). Retrieved on July 6, 2007. References *Giddings, Paula (1988). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement. References See also *Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated External links * *Handbook of Texas Online: Myra Hemmings *List of Myra Hemmings' films Category:African-American actors Category:Howard University alumni Category:American schoolteachers Category:1895 births Category:1968 deaths Category:People from San Antonio, Texas